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Helena Her

Davenport

AP Literature and Composition

17 December 2018

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein: the Gift that Keeps Giving

With the recent release of ​Star Wars: The Last Jedi​ and the Marvel cinematic universe

nearing the release of its 10 years build up to ​Infinity Wars​, it’s important to pay homage to the

woman who made all of this possible: Mary Shelley. Mary Shelley's novel, ​Frankenstein, or the

Modern Prometheus​ no doubt, revolutionized literature. It brought together the deeply emotional

tones of romantic literature and supernatural and grotesque elements of gothic literature and

wrapped it up in a brand new Science Fiction genre. Shelley invented the most iconic “mad

scientist” of all time and explored the harm that advanced science in the hands of the foolish

could wreak onto society.

Frankenstein’s subtitle, ​The Modern Prometheus​ is an allusion to the Prometheus of

Greek Myths. Prometheus, like Shelley’s character Frankenstein was a creator of life. He is

remembered for his intelligence, and dedication to humankind. Like Frankenstein, Prometheus

did the unthinkable to help humankind. While Frankenstein found the secret to life and brought

to life a creature from fragments of the dead, Prometheus found the secret to progression, fire,

and stole it from the most powerful man in Olympus. Because of their actions, they both

suffered.
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A great example of Mary’s ever extending hand and influence is ​Logan​. ​Logan​ brings to

the screen the tarnished image of Wolverine in his last glory days. He is the last remaining

X-Men and furthermore, one of the few remaining mutants on Earth. The film revolves around a

young girl, Laura, or X-23- who was created in Logan’s image- and her journey alongside Logan

to find a safe haven away from those trying to kill her. Although the movie is titled “Logan”,

both Laura and Logan share the screen and draw a multitude of parallels to Frankenstein.

Firstmost, both Frankenstein’s monster and Logan are creations of advanced science.

While the creature was constructed with dead limbs and reanimated through flashes of

electricity, Wolverine was injected with adamantium, making him virtually indestructible. In

addition to mutants already being hated by most of society, because of his special regenerative

properties, he is left to see all his friends pass away while he lives on alone, joined only by his

mentor, Charles Xavier. This is no different to the creature’s agony as he suffers without

companion throughout the book and Prometheus’s sullen fate as he waits in misery and solitude

for an eagle to attack his liver (yikes).

A prevalent theme in Frankenstein, Fate and free will is shown in both X-23’s quest for

Eden and Xavier’s push for Logan to help her. Logan has a fading legacy: “The Great

Wolverine” and his only companion is his mentor, the man who helped create that entire legacy,

Profesor Charles Xavier. Logan only wants to stay hidden, away from any trouble, and in fact, in

a boat sailing far away from all of society. Xavier, however has different ideas for him. Xavier

sees Laura as an exciting opportunity to get out into the world again and to help mutants, as he

was once famous for. Yet, all this cannot be done without Logan’s help, so throughout the

movie, we watch Xavier pressuring Logan to do more and help Laura and Logan fighting the
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urge to quit altogether. On top of this, Logan is symbol of hope for Laura. She even carries

around comic books of him and the courageous X-Men. Laura has a perceived idea of Logan and

moreover, Logan as the always valliant Wolverine, yet logan cannot fit her idea of a “hero” as

much as she wants him too. He is very much a Byronic hero, unhappy and brooding throughout

the film. He is also alienated from society and influenced by his tragic past of seeing all his

friends pass away. He struggles in complying with Xavier’s and Laura’s fate for him. The shift

of his attitude from indifferent to willing to help Laura only occurs once his long time friend,

Xavier is killed and he acts in revenge. .

Revenge is a driving force in Prometheus, Frankenstein, and Logan. Zeus takes revenge

on Prometheus for making a fool of and then defying him. Frankenstein’s creature takes revenge

on Frankenstein for creating and then leaving him. Logan takes revenge on the reavers for killing

Xavier; Laura later takes revenge on the reavers for killing Logan.

Although Laura was created as weapon X-23, she runs away from her captors and works

hard to break this mold who she was ​supposed​ to become. As a new mutant, she is brimming

with powerful abilities and strength, yet also inexperience and naiveness. Only being eleven

years of age and raised her entire life in a facility by corrupt scientists instead of a loving home

by parents, she doesn’t have much outside experience and when she runs away, lacks a sense of

who she is away from that. Laura only remembers her friends inside the facility and getting to

them is her sole goal. This absence of identity in a foreign place and conflict of life and existence

is notable in both Frankenstein and Logan. Furthermore, the writers explore this childish absence

of experience more in a scene when Laura watches a movie for the first time with Xavier.

Unfamiliar with most facets of society, Xavier explains that that movie is a “classic” and she is
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utterly fascinated. This is similar to the creature’s initial discoveries of books, such as Paradise

Lost and being exposed to literature for the first time.

As referenced before, Mary Shelley’s work is still widely influential and science fiction is

one of the most in demand genres right now; think Star Wars, Star Trek, the Marvel Cinematic

Universe, Jurassic Park, The Matrix, and list goes on and on. Shelley’s ideas of the passionate

genius, the horrid villain, etc. are all ubiquitous in these films. The reason the science fiction

genre is so popular is simply because its brings to the screen the undoable; it creates unrealistic

elements that we aren’t able to see in everyday life. We like to see and imagine everything that

can’t be done. I mean, seriously, who wouldn’t want to see Mark Ruffalo turn into a giant angry

uncontrollable green version of himself? We will never see galactic villains on the brink of

worldwide destruction nor superheroes flying across the sky to save the day, but for a brief

moment in time, we are encapsulated by these films, books, etc and it feels almost real. We peer

into the unknown. Additionally, science fiction films almost always have themes of unity. We

like to think that we are the strongest and smartest and able to overcome any adversity. Science

fiction show that no matter what the odds, humankind will stand together and the good will

prevail.